Month: March 2015

So liiiiiiike a month & a half ago @misschrissycharms posted the cutest bag on her IG. I screen shotted it with every intention of running to Target to swoop it up. Seriously- how cute is it??

Much to my horror, I could not find it on the Target website. I didn’t see it at the 3 Targets I went to either…I went back to the original post to find that the bag WAS ONLY AVAILABLE IN TARGET CANADA! In case you’re not up on Canada Related News, Target recently made the decision to close all of their stores in Canada because they weren’t profitable. I know- I don’t even know how that’s possible either. (Possibly because there was nothing to buy?) Thus…the bag would never be mine. I was doomed to just be taunted by Canadian bloggers. Or so I thought!

One morning last week, I was scrolling through the Target website for a blush pink bag. AND I SAW IT! But only at a Target at the 17 & Bethany Home. Aka like the most inconvenient location for me to swing by. I didn’t care. I gave my hair a quick spritz of dry shampoo and ran there before work. I got there & I saw it….the last bag in all of Phoenix. I bought it and it was mine. Isn’t it just the cutest bag you ever did see? It’s not too big, it looks just like this Kate Spade bag, and it has short and long straps. Sigh….so this is what victory feels like… 😉

﻿So when I worked at the Dolch, I wore headbands all the time…and no one batted one false lash. Now that I work in a differnt setting, my headbands have become the subject of much controversy.

I now present to you a list of comments I’ve received about my head bands in the last week:

“So is today ‘Flashdance’ day?”

“You’re white and wearing a headband. Of course I think you’re a snob.”

“Do you have a head ache or….” (from a genuinely concerned international student.)

“It looks like you cut the crotch out of lace underwear and put it on your head.”

“What’s going on (motions to my head) here?”

“You have sort of a…Brett Michaels thing going on today, huh?”

I have no lesson I’ve learned from this. No cute little wrap up. (is that a headband pun?) I just think it’s funny that people are so confused about me wearing cute head bands. What can I say- I can’t avoid controversy. 😉

I searched my blog and I can’t believe I’ve never blogged about this here before! I wrote a post for Dolce’s blog but that has since faded into the Internets.

Two years ago today was my first day at Dolce Salon & Spa. I still remember them asking me in my interview (not once but) TWICE if I was willing to wear a full face of make up. I had never worn foundation in my life- they were right to be hesitant. Haha

I was in a big transitionary phase of my life- God was asking me to take a step back from Chi Alpha & ministry & work through some healing. I thought this job was “random” but it ended up dovetailing perfectly with where I was in my journey. I did a whole Summer of Risks. I worked though Mending the Soul and started learning who I was. Shame started falling off. Working at a salon let me learn how to express on the outside what I was feeling on the inside. It gave me permission to try to work on my appearance.

This is not a story just about how I learned to lightly contour and how to blend eye shadow and how I gained an appreciation for a good spray tan- it’s about how I finally allowed God to dust me off and reveal my worth to myself. You can’t deny the transformation though:

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The following photos are all about 5 years apart on the same day:

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One of my favorite Bible verses is 1 John 4:18 “There is no fear in love, but perfect love casts out fear. For fear has to do with punishment, and whoever fears has not been perfected in love.” The Lord took a few years with me at a job that was not in my comfort zone or realm of expertise and perfected me in love. I was around people at work who valued presenting themselves well and I rose to the occasion. I spent time in a Mending the Soul group around women who values working through lifetimes of junk and I got better.

While I’m at a new job now and my life looks different, I’m still thankful for the time I spent at the Dolch. As I am in the midst of a new season of growth, it’s encouraging to see how far the Lord has brought me. Growth and change can be so uncomfortable but God continually reminds me of my story. Of where I’ve been. It’s a great comfort to know that the best has yet to come- that I can continue to fight for the best me.

As I was driving home from Chi Alpha tonight I prayed, “God who am I that you would let me be a part of this?” I had just got to spend a few hours hanging with great people, eating Chic fil a, and serving the campus. I’m not being dramatic when I say- what a privilege.

If you knew me, if you knew my story, if you think anything like me…I have no business being allowed on campus. But God, in His rich mercy, has written a story of redemption for me. If we had time to sit over coffee, I would tell you how He has heaped grace on my life. I am living proof that you can’t get in the way of your own calling. I just can’t resist the plans He has.

If you’ve never been in a place like this, if you’ve never had revelation of what you’ve been saved from, if you’ve never felt like you are doing what only God could have ordained, I would encourage you to take the risk. Step out. Put your faith in action. Live Brave. It’s the only place worth living. Who am I? Who are you? We are destined. We are daughters. You can do it. Step in.<3

HOW IS FEBRUARY ALREADY OVER?!? So crazy! I kicked off the first day of March doing a whole bunch of nothing! Haha Mag & I went to church with my parents & then to brunch & then slept the afternoon away. I’m ending it by watching the Sister Wives finale. This is how you refuel, people. 😉

Okay on to the update on my Feb goals:

Mental: Read a book. I read Make It Happen and I really enjoyed it, it was really more of a work book than a book book…it’s a resource I will likely revisit. A word to the wise- don’t buy the digital copy like me! This is a book you’ll want to write all over! I also read Sean Lowe’s “For the Right Reasons” and I LOVED IT! With these goals, I’ve read WAY more books this year than I did last year and I’m really proud of that.

Emotional: Hang out with a friend that I wouldn’t normally hang out with. Push the comfort zone. Expand the circle.
I hung out with the YoPros and it was the bomb!

Physical: Take 3 Yoga Classes
I went to 2 and set up a time to do therapeutic yoga at a later date. I ran into a long lost friend at a class and really enjoyed it. Looking forward to expanding my practice.

Spiritual: 10 Devotional Times & 3 fasting days. Y’all I suck at setting aside designated devotional times. This one was a bit of a miss. The 3 fasting days happened though! And they were emotional but more bearable than I thought. Phewf.

So for March…I want to keep in mind that I can #LiveBrave…so these make me sweat a bit!

Mental: Read Brene Brown’s “The Gift of Imperfection.” Excited about this one especially for where I’m at in my journey. 🙂

Emotional: Okay there are a few people that I KNOW but we’re not really friends- you those people who you SAY you’re going to hang out with but never do? Okay I want to hangout with one of those people.

Physical: Start Couch to 5k again. I want to spend more time outside but I hate running. I think I can do it though! Oh and I’m also going to Jesus at the Core…which is terrifying because it’s going to be full of super flexible yogis. YOLO…going for it.

Spiritual: 3 fasting days & 15 devotional times. Gotta up my game. I don’t like being quiet…ever. I would rather speak in front of a million people than spend 20 minutes being quiet. Sometimes my #brave looks different and that’s okay.

My March calendar is already filling up but I’m excited for all the fun things in store and to punch these goals in the face!

Xoxo

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